"It could not be helped."
Alistair closed his eyes and shook his head. Then he remembered his split lip, touched it and smiled. "Twas a bloody good fight, Sir."
"Would you care to go again sometime?"
"Indeed I would."
"So would I," said Hannish.
*
It was embarrassing to join the other servants for the noon meal in the kitchen, but Alistair drew in a deep breath, took his usual seat opposite Prescot at the end of the table and pretended nothing had changed - that is, until Sassy began to giggle. "What tickles your fancy this day, Sassy?"
"You got a very good one, and in the opposite eye as Mr. Hannish."
Alistair's head still hurt a little and he was about to roll his eyes when he decided not too. "Mine was left-handed, is all."
"The lad you fought?" Sassy asked. "Why did you fight?"
"'Tis what men do when they are upset, Sassy," Jessie explained. "They find a poor soul just as upset, and they two have it out."
"It is called a fair fight," Keith explained.
"A fair fight?" Sarah asked. "Were they as big as you and Mr. MacGreagor?"
"Well…" Alistair started. He was still not sober enough to think quickly and Sarah was giving him that look -- the look he was beginning to grow fond of. It appeared she might favor him, and he hoped so.
Prescot quickly interrupted. "Bigger."
Sassy wasn't sure she believed that, but she let it pass. There was a wonderful lunch to be had and she was determined not to leave a crumb of cornbread on her plate.
"What needs to be done yet today?" Blanka asked.
"Well, we best finish sweeping all the empty rooms. The rugs will be coming soon," Sarah answered. "Keith and Ronan went to town this morning, so we shall see what they bring back.
*
At McKenna's suggestion, Hannish decided to decorate each guest room in a specific color so everyone could remember which guest was where. The red room was for special guests and the purple room, he announced, was where they would put guests that were not so welcome.
Many of the furnishings were easily found in Denver shops, but some had to be ordered from much farther away. Daily, a MacGreagor wagon met the noon train, where hardy men quickly transferred the goods from the boxcar to the wagon. Some days, there were several items and other days nothing came.
Each morning, Prescot handed Hannish a list of goods the cooks or the housekeeper vowed they could not do without. Each and every list included twenty pounds sterling in cold hard cash. He approved the goods, crossed off the cash and smiled each time. If he needed cheering up, which he did, his servants aimed to see he got it and word of his smile quickly passed from lip to lip throughout the entire household.